Arson suspected in Tampa house fire; another next door is ruled accidental

Tampa Fire Rescue officials say a fire early Thursday at a home in the 8400 block of N Brooks Street has been ruled arson. Just before midnight, fire crews were called to a home next door, where another fire broke out. Bay News 9

SULPHUR SPRINGS — Separate house fires in the last two days on the same Sulphur Springs street were the result of two very different causes, fire officials said Friday.

One was an electrical fire. The other was arson.

Fire officials briefly thought both blazes, which happened 24 hours apart at adjacent homes in the 8400 block of Brooks Street, might have been the work of a serial arsonist. Friday morning, they concluded that the latter fire was an accident.

The first blaze happened about 1:30 a.m. Thursday at 8410 N Brooks St. It took 15 minutes for firefighters to bring it under control and resulted in heavy damage, authorities said. The Tampa Fire Marshal determined later the same day that it had been intentionally set, authorities said.

The other fire broke out about 24 hours later next door at 8408 N Brooks St. An investigation Friday morning determined the cause to be an electrical malfunction, officials said. Damages from the latter blaze were in excess of $15,000.

Both homes were abandoned when the respective fires started, officials said. Both are single story that sit along a modest residential street north of Waters Avenue.

No one was injured in either fire.

Anyone with information regarding the arson is asked to call Tampa fire officials at (813) 276-3232.

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